The Brief is a regular feature on the LPA blog which takes a behind the scenes look at a photoshoot, from brief to final images. For this edition we take you behind the scenes of Nick David’s recent shoot for The Department for International Trade followed by a handy photoshoot glossary.

WCRS recently commissioned LPA photographer Nick David to shoot for The Department for International Trade (DIT) on location in London. DIT is the part of the UK government responsible for trade agreements between the UK and non EU states, developed in July 2016 shortly after the referendum. DIT strives to promote British trade worldwide, ensuring that the UK take advantage of the opportunities open to us.

The shoot was part of a global OOH campaign designed to showcase the very best of British businesses from across the UK in a number of different sectors including technology, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and financial services. The brief for this particular execution was to capture shots of real school children using Raspberry Pi single board computers. The Raspberry Pi Foundation provides low cost, high performance computers that people can use to learn, solve problems and have fun. They promote the teaching of basic computer science in schools and developing countries. The original model was far more popular than anticipated, selling wildly outside it’s target market and it was this success that the DIT wanted to advertise, in turn encouraging further investment into this ground breaking product.

Having decided that the shoot was going to take place in a real London school, featuring a real school class, the estimate for the job included the following:

– Photographer’s fees for one weekend shoot day and one recce day. This covered Nick’s time to do a technical recce of some potential schools in advance of the shoot and also his time to shoot during a weekend. As we were shooting in a real working school during term time, it was decided it would cause least disruption to the children by shooting on a Saturday morning.

– Photographic expenses such as digital capture, equipment and lighting.

– Post-production to process, colour correct and deliver the final high res TIFF file at the end of the shoot.

– A location scout (plus expenses) for seven days. This was to commission a location scout to find a suitable working school that was willing to take part in such a big project, as well as fitting the visual brief.

– Location fees – the cost of shooting in a school for one day on a weekend.

– Crew – two photographer’s assistants for one shoot day.

– A stylist for one shoot day to make sure all the kids were looking tip top in their uniform and iron out any creases!

– A production co-ordinator to produce the shoot, keep on top of the shoot schedule and oversee proceedings on the shoot day.

– A first aider – legally required on all shoots with children.

– An entertainer – to keep thirty plus children entertained and engaged during down time on set!

– Subsistence – food for all crew and students throughout the shoot. Catering was ordered from Humdingers catering based in London.

As the shoot was to involve such a high number of children and was due to take place on a weekend (when main offices are closed), pre-production was crucial to ensure everything was ready for the shoot day. After supplying the final estimate and receiving the PO, our to do list was along the lines of the following…

– Submit a Pre-Shoot Invoice

– Brief a location scout. It was never going to be an easy task to source a school in London that not only looked right for the visual brief, but had a full class of approximately thirty school children aged between 8 and 11 who were willing to give up a Saturday to take part. Central to the brief was a feeling of authenticity, so it was key to find a real class that knew each other well, who were going to enjoy the excitement of the day and bounce off one another’s energy. Up to ten different schools were approached for the project, and whittled down to a shortlist of three.

– Go on a technical recce. Nick and the creatives went on a recce of the shortlisted locations, both to select classrooms which were appropriate to shoot in as well as to meet the possible school children taking part.

– Approach all parents/guardians of the children we were hoping to photograph and secure their permission to be photographed.

– Approach the council for an exemption licence for the school children involved, valid for the day of the shoot only.

– Obtain written permission to use the schools real uniform and logo, so as not to infringe any copyright.

– Enlist staff members to attend and supervise on the shoot day.

– Brief the stylist on what wardrobe accessories might be required.

– Create a call sheet for all crew and talent. Put together a register and signing in/out sheet for all attendees.

– Pre-production meeting – A meeting held at the WCRS offices attended by all creatives, the client, Nick and LPA.

To ensure the shoot went smoothly, we worked closely with the chosen school (unnamed for privacy purposes), to make sure that proceedings were seamless, productive, fun and safe.

We made sure to put together a detailed schedule for the day. The crew arrived two hours before the children, this was to set up and get everything in line for when they all arrived. It was key to minimise their waiting time to ensure that they did not get distracted or bored. It also meant that they were kept safely away from the crew lugging heavy lights and equipment up and down stairs and in and out of classrooms.

We took some test shots and prepped the classrooms from a styling point of view, making sure that all the display boards and notices where how we wanted them to be before bringing in the children.

Once the children arrived, we had a designated room (the school hall) as a base for the day. We signed all children in and out of here, getting them to sign a model release form upon arrival. The first aider and three school staff were present in here at all times to ensure the utmost safety of the children throughout the shoot. We had two children’s entertainers based in here to occupy everybody involved while they weren’t in front of the camera. The team felt that this was vital to making sure the shoot day felt fun and light hearted – the last thing we wanted was for the kids to feel like they had been dragged into school on a Saturday. As a result, we had thirty very happy (and very lively!) 8 year olds who projected their energy right through into the final shots.

Because we weren’t working with professional models, having a friendly and approachable crew really helped during the set up of the shoot and allowed for an easy atmosphere all round.

Once shooting had commenced, we stickered all the children with a particular colour. We then shot the children in colour blocks, not only allowing us to keep track of how many hours each had worked, but also making sure no child was left out from featuring in at least one photo.

“The brief was straight forward but above all it needed to look genuine – everything about the image had to be natural and authentic capturing a moment of excitement. The kids were brilliant and they kept up the energy throughout the shoot which made my job much easier” Nick David, Photographer

With really careful planning from everyone involved the shoot was great fun and the final images looked fantastic.

“Everything went well, the client approved [the] recommended shots seamlessly and gave some great feedback, so thank you to you and the team!” Madeleine Macrae, Integrated Project Manager

PHOTOSHOOT GLOSSARY

Call Sheet: A document detailing all the important details on a shoot: where, when, who, plus contact numbers.

Digi-capture: The process of taking the photos on a photoshoot, capturing the images with a digital camera.

Exemption Licence – As we were shooting at a weekend and the children didn’t have to take any time out from school, we did not have to licence them. However, we did have to inform the council of what we were doing and be granted a licence saying that the children were not being paid to take part.

TIFF file – Tagged image file format. One of the most common graphic image formats used across the industry.

Model release form – A form signed by the parent or guardian of each school child to confirm that they were willing to take part and agree for their photo to be used within the specified usage licence.

The Brief is a regular feature on the LPA blog which takes a behind the scenes look at a photoshoot, from brief to final images. For this edition we take you behind the scenes of Julian Calverley’s recent shoot for GE and we’ve even included a handy photoshoot glossary.

Seven Stones recently commissioned Julian Calverley to shoot for GE (General Electric) on location in Oslo. GE is one of the biggest companies in the world, defining itself as a ‘digital industrial’ organisation. With a third of a million employees, capturing the human face of technological advance was central to the campaign. GE wanted to focus on their pride in delivering invention that truly matters and the people that help deliver innovation for the everyday.

The brief for the shoot was to capture shots which depicted a representation of all the sectors within the company. This was to be achieved through 2x key shots at one of GE’s manufacturing plants in Oslo, Norway, photographing 8 ‘real’ people rather than models. Dressed in their work uniforms, the talent were to be grouped around the MRI scanner for ‘in situ’ shots of the team effort which goes into such a large company.

As the shoot was to take place overseas, pre-production was crucial to ensure everything was ready for the day of the shoot.

After supplying the final estimate and receiving the PO, our to do list looked something like this …

– Invoice advance (to cover upfront expenses incurred)

– Contact a local producer with local knowledge of the area who can source a hair and make up artist and stylist

– Find out details of the locations from GE

– Book return flights for Julian and his assistant

– Book accommodation close to the shoot locations

– Arrange a carnet document, allowing Julian to take his own camera and lighting equipment

– Acquire details of all the GE models who were being photographed

– Brief the stylist on what wardrobe accessories might be required

– Create a call sheet for all crew and talent

– Organising the logistics:

One important aspect of organising the shoot was arranging travel and accommodation for the photographer and photographer’s assistant.

Arranging the carnet was vital for Julian to be able to fly his own camera and equipment out to Norway. A carnet (pronounced kar-nay), is an internationally recognised customs document which permits (duty and tax free) the temporary import of goods. Carnets also serve as the registration of goods in the UK upon re-importation. All this basically proves that you aren’t taking goods over to Norway to sell without declaring the income. To apply for a carnet the photographer needs to list the items carried followed by the manufacturer, the item model (serial numbers if applicable), the approximate date purchased, the quantity, value, country of origin and finally the weight of the item. All of Julian’s equipment was checked upon leaving the country and checked again upon return. As Julian was also taking some of his own equipment, we booked additional baggage for the flights which saved a little money rather than paying for it at the airport.

To ensure the shoot went smoothly, we worked closely with Seven Stones and GE deciding on call times and schedules. As the locations included working hospitals and production factories, we had to make sure we arranged the shoot schedule around working hours. We ended up splitting the 2x shoot days over 3x working days. Working in the afternoons when areas were closed to patients meant that the MRI scanner and restricted zones weren’t interrupted. It was also important to have a small team on set so as not to overcrowd the spaces. There were 8x talent to photograph meaning the room didn’t have much space, so Julian, his assistant, the art director and 1x client from GE were the only people on set. As all 8x of the talent were working, we had to be mindful of their schedules, for example putting talent who had to leave early to get back to work first on the running order

Local Producer:

We hired a local producer to help with all aspects of the shoot in Oslo. Aside form helping us source a stylist and hair and make-up artist they also assisted with travel arrangements, catering on set and for interpretation between Julian and the models.

Because we were working with ‘real’ people, having a friendly crew really helped during the set up of the shoot. While the talent was having basic hair and make up touch ups, or their uniforms steamed, the crew helped them relax and enjoy the experience, allowing for an easy atmosphere all round.

THE SHOOT

With really careful planning from everyone involved the shoot was great fun and the shots looked fantastic. A happy crew all round!

“The GE Oslo shoot was a perfect example of a team effort. We were working under reasonably tight time and location constraints, in a busy working environment, and so we had to remain as flexible as possible. Working with an experienced and flexible art director meant we could quickly explore visual ideas as they presented themselves, and working with a seasoned production crew meant we could work unhindered, knowing everything was at hand.. and all I had to do was think about making the pictures. It was a memorable shoot, and for all the right reasons.” Julian Calverley.

“Working in Oslo with Julian and his team on this four-day shoot was an absolute pleasure. He knew exactly what we wanted to achieve with each shot, shooting in some very challenging industrial spaces. The brief for this shoot was about capturing the characters and stories of real employees and we did exactly that, thanks to the way Julian made everyone feel very much at home in front of his camera.” Justin Earl, Seven Stones

Advance: It is good business practice to obtain an advance of funds to cover the liability of production expenses prior to the shoot.

Call Sheet: A document detailing all the important details on a shoot: where, when, who, plus contact numbers.

Carnet – The ATA Carnet is an internationally recognised customs document which permits (duty and tax free) the temporary import of goods for up to one year. ATA Carnets also serve as the registration of goods in the UK upon re-importation.

The carnet bypasses the time consuming task of completing numerous customs documents for each country visited. An ATA Carnet also provides a financial guarantee to foreign customs officials that, in the event goods are not re-exported, duties and taxes will be paid.

Digi-capture: The process of taking the photos on a photoshoot, capturing the images with a digital camera.

PO: A Purchase Order. A legally binding document from client to supplier detailing the exact services required, authorising costs and detailing all terms and conditions.

Post–production: Digital manipulation of the images after they have been taken.

Prep: (In this case with regards to styling) initial preparation for a shoot e.g. sourcing/buying/ hiring clothing and props, as well as preparing moodboards and online research.

Pre-production: The production which takes place before a shoot happens, to make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.

Recce fee: The photographer’s fee for time spent viewing potential locations prior to the shoot. This helps to plan lighting, logistics and to ensure everything runs smoothly on the shoot day.

Travel Fee: The fee to the photographer and crew for time spent travelling.

Shot List: A preliminary list of shots the client wants to achieve during the shoot.

Talent: The models or people who are being photographed in a photoshoot.

The Brief is a regular feature on the LPA blog which takes a behind the scenes look at a photoshoot, from brief to final images. For this edition we take you behind the scenes of Julian Calverley’s recent shoot for Highways England, and we’ve even included a handy photoshoot glossary!

For this month’s The Brief we will be looking at a great shoot with Julian Calverley, which was perfectly suited to his excellent photography and retouching skills. Yorkshire based agency Williams Lea came to us with a tricky yet exciting brief; they wanted to capture action shots of people driving cars for their client Highways England.

Highways England were looking to shoot a library of images showing a number of scenarios, all based on their expertise in managing the motorways and major trunk roads from the point of view of the everyday driver and passenger. They wanted to shoot drivers and passengers in moving vehicles on rural and urban highways, showing different signage and technologies, with the vehicles in apparent motion.

Obviously we weren’t able to shoot in a moving car, so the challenge was to make it look like it was moving without compromising the safety of the team. Julian took the approach of shooting the models in the vehicle while stationary at one location, followed by shooting the backgrounds (roads and sky) on a separate shoot day to be joined together at a later date in post-production.

Julian’s expert ability to blend multiple elements together in post-production, including reflections in the car windows, won him the job and left the client confident that the final images would come back looking as realistic as possible.

THE ESTIMATE

The shoot was going to take place over one and a half days. With 45 shots to achieve there was lots to pack in, so we wasted no time in putting together an estimate. In our estimate we accounted for:

– Photographer’s fees for 1.5 shoot days (1x day with models and 0.5x a day to photograph backgrounds) and 1x recce day (to view shoot locations sourced by the client)

– Photographic expenses such as digital capture, equipment and lighting, post production

As Williams Lea were supplying locations, Julian carried out a recce to view the locations himself and make sure that they were suitable to shoot in. The locations varied from a disused slip road near London to various highways and rural locations around the M1 and M25. Julian was constantly on the look out for the best possible angles to shoot each of the elements required to make up the images. We also had to ensure that the team would be safe while shooting in such close proximity to a busy motorway.

One of our main aims during pre-production was to source the right prop car for the shoot. The car had to be visually suitable for a wide range of markets, while serving as a generic vehicle that could be used for business and pleasure. It was also imperative that the car interior was good enough to shoot in, in order to achieve the desired shots of the drivers from inside the car.

“Car interiors are always a little fun, as yes… space is limited. We worked with natural light, black velvet and reflectors for the interior shots and used a mix of natural light and strobe for the exteriors.“
Julian Calverley

Williams Lea and Highways England were responsible for casting two models which would work well for both business and pleasure scenarios.

Behind the scenes

THE SHOOT

On the first shoot day when the models were present, we hired a Winnebago. A Winnebago serves as a great base camp when shooting in a location with limited (or zero!) facilities. The Winnebago played an important role in this shoot as it allowed the models to get changed in private while providing Claire with a space to set up hair and make-up protected from the elements (a Winnebago also acts as a place to shelter in case the weather isn’t on your side)

While shooting, the team were protected from the main road by a safety barrier and there was also a traffic officer keeping an eye out.

POST-PRODUCTION

Directed by Joel Langlois, post-production was a key factor in this shoot. Thanks to Julian’s retouching skills he was able to stich and weave together separate shots in order to produce completed scenes of cars and their drivers on the move. Because Julian was shooting a whole library of images for Highways England, he was able to pull details from different shots and comp them together to create an entirely new image, for example switching one car from driving on the motorway to driving on a country road.

“We were careful to match focal lengths and camera heights when shooting the backdrops, and also sourced a variety of skies from my ‘clouds’ library to match the paint and window reflections, as the backgrounds had to be seen ‘through’ the windshield and side windows so it was quite a jigsaw to get everything to sit together.”
Julian Calverley.

The Brief is a regular feature on the LPA blog which takes a behind the scenes look at a photoshoot, from brief to final images. For this edition we take you behind the scenes of Julian Love’s recent shoot for First Great Western, and we’ve even included a handy photoshoot glossary!

Edinburgh based The Leith Agency recently came to us with a fantastic brief for Julian Love for First Great Western (now Great Western Railway.) This was to be a high profile, above the line campaign, capturing some of the many destinations that can be reached by Great Western Railway – including London, Exeter, Cardiff and Bristol. We knew Julian would be the perfect man for the job, with his excellent portfolio of location photography and understanding of the relationship between copy and image.

“The South West is full of stunning scenery. We’ve already captured lots of destinations. But we want more. “

Julian was called upon to get ‘under the skin’ of each destination, capturing the buzz of the locations. First Great Western wanted one hero shot in each city, as well as a number of smaller incidentals at restaurants, bars, shops, museums and such, getting to the heart of each area. Julian is known for his ability to capture authentic narratives in his polished signature style, so we knew he would do a fantastic job.

THE ESTIMATE

This was to be an eight-day shoot, with two days allocated to each city. There was a lot to consider location-wise, so we set to putting an estimate together straight away.

The Leith Agency supplied us with a detailed brief containing ideas for locations in each city, along with creative visuals which communicated the mood they were aiming to capture. These were their initial ideas for each location:

This was a great starting point for us to explore the cities with the key hero shots in mind. We enlisted the help of location scoutRob Murray from RoLo Productions, who visited each city to scout potential locations to feedback to Julian. Armed with these shortlisted locations and local knowledge, Julian then visited each city to recce. Once he had made his final choices we obtained approval and sign off from the client, and Rob began to gather all the necessary permissions to allow us photograph the locations for the campaign. For the hero shots this involved contacting the local councils or location owners to obtain signed location permits. For the incidental images Rob contacted all restaurants, bars and shops to make sure they were happy to sign a property release form. Rob negotiated a fee with each required location, and ensured that the owners were happy for their premises to be featured in the campaign for First Great Western.

Rob did a fantastic job in finding the most interesting locations for the shoot, particularly considering the sheer quantity needed! Here’s what he had to say about the experience:

“The FGW brief was purely location led which meant we could really focus on finding the unique areas to each city. From the obvious Millennium Centre in Cardiff to the graffiti clad back streets of Bristol, each city had its hidden gem. Logistically, the scouting itself was quite challenging due to the all familiar time constraints but that didn’t take away from the joy of exploring these cities.”

One of the most important aims of the shoot was to capture the urban creativity of each city. The client was keen for Julian to photograph some of the abundant street art for which Bristol is famous, but we knew we had to be mindful of copyright laws in place. If graffiti is produced with the consent of the owner of the structure (building, wall etc), it will be protected by copyright and cannot be photographed without the artist’s permission. Luckily for us, Julian happened to walk past a graffiti artist working on a commission whilst on his recce. He arranged for the artist to be present on the shoot day in order to sign an art work release form, which authorised the replication of his work in the images.

Thanks to the careful planning on the part of The Leith Agency and LPA producer Cassie, the shoot went off without a hitch and it was a really fun one for everyone to be involved with.

Here’s what Julian had to say about the shoot:

“I often travel abroad for shoots so I really enjoyed getting to explore cities closer to home for the First Great Western campaign. Ian Fletcher at The Leith Agency gave me a lot of freedom within the brief to find the most photogenic subjects in each city. Landscape shoots are always somewhat weather dependent and although we had weather days built into the schedule we were lucky and didn’t need to use them. It’s been great to see the final pictures up on billboards everywhere.”

Artwork Release Form – A written agreement signed by the artist stating that they grant permission of the use and reproduction of their work in the agreed capacity.

Creative Visuals – Visual references included in a client’s brief as a way of communicating the intended overall look and mood of the shoot.

Hero shot – The main shot, intended to lead the campaign.

Incidentals – Secondary shots, usually of a more spontaneous nature and requiring less set-up than the hero shot.

Location Permits – A document that grants permission (usually by the local council or building owner) for the photographer to shoot in a public space and for the images to be used in a particular way.

Location Scout – The person responsible for sourcing and shortlisting suitable locations, obtaining permits and permissions, and liaising with the photographer to organise the shoot logistics and schedule.

Property Release – A written agreement signed by the property owner stating that they grant permission for their property to be featured in the shoot in the agreed capacity.

Recce – Informal term for reconnaissance. Refers to the photographer visiting the location(s) in advance of shoot to select what will work best.

Weather Day – A contingency day added into the shoot schedule incase bad weather disrupts shoot.

The Brief is a regular feature on the LPA blog which takes a behind the scenes look at a photoshoot, from brief to final images. For this edition we take you behind the scenes of Patrick Harrison’s recent shoot for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, and we’ve even included a handy photoshoot glossary!

Brighton based design agency Neo contacted us in March with this fantastic brief for Patrick Harrison after one of their designers saw his ongoing work with Thames Reach. This was to be a high profile Above the Line campaign, consisting of three parts; two case studies where Patrick would shoot portraits of people at various stages of living with Motor Neurone Disease and one still life shoot of an empty bucket and garden chair, reminiscent of the Ice Bucket Challenge that took the internet by storm in 2014.

The brief required the portraits of the case studies to be packed full of personality and tell an engaging story, so it was paramount that the photographer had the ability to build a rapport with the case studies and empathise with their situations. We knew instantly that this would be perfect for Patrick.

For the still life shoot, they wanted to evoke feelings of nostalgia and intrigue. A well looked after garden that was once the scene of a person taking part in the ice bucket challenge would become neglected, overgrown and abandoned as if it had stood for 365 days without being tended to.

The production would be shared between LPA, Neo and the MND Association; case studies arranged by Neo and the MND Association, and location and props for the still life shoot arranged by LPA. The turnaround was pretty tight on this one – Neo wanted the shoot to take place in 2 weeks so LPA got cracking on a quote straightaway.

Below are the original scamps that Neo sent to us for the case studies and still life shoots:

THE ESTIMATE

In our estimate we included:

• Photographer’s fees for 3 x half day shoots

• Recce fees for the still life shoot so Patrick could visit a shortlist of suitable locations prior to the shoot

• Photographic expenses such as digi capture, equipment and lighting kit, post production

• Videographer fees for 2 x half day case study shoots

• Location fees for a location house with a suitable garden

• Crew which consisted of a photographer’s assistant for all shoot days, and a prop stylist for the still life shoot

• Mileage to Manchester and Leicester for the case study shoots and London for the still life shoot

• Miscellaneous costs such as couriers, mobile and insurance

Once the costs had been approved we could begin on the production.

THE LOCATION

It was decided that the case studies were going to be photographed in their own homes in Manchester and Leicester to keep the project as authentic as possible.

For the still life shoot we needed to find a location with a garden that looked as if it had once been loved and enjoyed but was now left untendered. We sent a location brief to location libraries detailing exactly what was required and worked out a shortlist of the most appropriate locations. A recce was carried out of the shortlisted homes then it was down to Neo and the MNDA to make the final decision. They chose a location house in East Dulwich, South London.

THE PROPS STYLING

Rosalind Keep was the stylist for the shoot and sourced the garden chair and bucket. Like the garden, the chair had to look as though it had been abandoned and untouched for a year. She sourced some options from prop houses, Ebay and Gumtree and decided the one below was the most appropriate for this shoot. Ros also used some Dirty Down spray on the day to make it look a bit more weather worn.

Here’s what Ros had to say about the shoot:

“I thought the concept for the MNDA shoot was clever and poignant, gently reminding the viewer that although the ice bucket challenge craze is over, the condition that caused it is still something that affects many people every day. The shot I was involved in was simple in terms of the quantity and type of props, it was the details that had to be right; the right overgrown lawn, chair and bucket so that it looked like a scene that could be found in anyone’s back garden. I aged the props with a special ‘dirtying’ spray (always fun to actually be allowed to mess thing up!) and I think with Patrick’s composition the final shot made the point it was supposed to very well. I know Patrick took lots of other shots for this campaign and met sufferers and heard their stories, it was a thought provoking job to be involved in for us all.”

THE SHOOT

This was a great project for everyone to be involved in, particularly because it’s for such a worthy cause. Here’s how Patrick found the shoot:

“It was great to be involved in the MNDA #LastSummer campaign. I love shooting real life stories so it was really good to meet and shoot Michael and Ailsa and their families at their homes for the campaign. Both have been diagnosed with the disease so we had to be aware of their needs, keeping everyone at ease and working quickly with the minimum of fuss. It was great to be trusted with an open brief so we didn’t have to work to a layout but the shots had to work together in the campaign and be strong, natural and overall have the summery feel of last summers ice bucket challenge. The most challenging part of the whole shoot was finding a location house that hadn’t cut the grass since last summer but Jonathon at LPA and the location scout got it sorted as always and our stylist Ros ‘aged’ the props to give them the required weathered look. The finished images were retouched by the Forge and look great. I hope the campaign goes some way to raise awareness of motor neurone disease and help those like Michael and Ailsa achieve the best quality of life.”

Kat, the account manager at Neo, said:

“The team at LPA ensured that everything ran smoothly from start to finish and both ourselves and the MND Association were very happy with the results.”

The Brief is a regular feature on the LPA blog which takes a behind the scenes look at a photoshoot, from brief to final images. For this edition we take you behind the scenes of Nick David’s recent Perfetti Van Melle shoot, even including a handy photoshoot glossary!

Perfetti Van Melle are one of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of confectionery and chewing gum, and the brand behind household names such as Chupa Chups, Mentos and Fruitella. Their agency Addison Group approached us looking for a lifestyle photographer with a spontaneous feel to his work, and they certainly came to the right place as Nick David is amongst the best in the business!

The brief called for seven key lifestyle shots, each featuring a different Perfetti Van Melle product. The client wanted the imagery to be fresh, genuine, bold and fun so we knew Nick was the perfect man for the job – a master of the natural and candid approach! Nick is also particularly gifted in capturing children being children (as you can see from the recent commissions below) which was an important part of this shoot.

Once we had received a PO approving the costs, we could commence on the preproduction. Our ‘to do’ list looked something like this…

1) Organise advance from client for shoot expenses.
2) Confirm dates with Nick and the client.
3) Send out brief to model agencies (including important client and usage details as well as the look of models and what they need to do).
4) Prepare an online casting document which included pictures, sizes and agencies of all the shortlisted models we have selected.
5) Addison and PVM to approve final models and LPA to confirm with model agencies.
6) Confirm and brief crew.
7) Confirm wardrobe and props brief plus sizes of models for the stylist.
8) Prepare call sheets and send to everyone.

THE TALENT

For this shoot we cast the models online which enabled the process to be really quick and efficient. However when conducting an online casting it’s important to double check that the models still look as they do in their images, and to ask the model agents for character recommendations. We had certain considerations to bear in mind at the request of the client, such as a broad representation of ethnicities, and also no child models under the age of twelve. We cast two adults, three young adults and three children.

THE LOCATION

Perfetti Van Melle’s original shot list required a variety of both indoor and outdoor scenarios which ranged from a park to a workplace. With this being a one day shoot, we had to find a versatile location which could convincingly represent each of the seven scenarios. We settled on a location house in East Finchley which could act as a family home whilst providing us with an appropriate space to simulate an office environment. It also had a large outdoor space which worked as both a garden and a park.

THE STYLING

LPA stylist Charlie cave and LPA hair and make-up artist Claire Portman both did a brilliant job as always.

The client wanted the wardrobe and props styling to be ‘casual, bold and vibrant’ to match the PVM branding, and we love the way Charlie has injected pops of colour in every shot to compliment the fun products. Here’s what she had to say about the shoot:

“PVM was a really nice shoot to work on with a great team, lovely client & shooting on location out in the sunshine. The wardrobe & props brief was very clear from the client, who wanted a summer feel & lots of kids garden toys. The shoot day went smoothly with the bonus at the end of the shoot that the outrageous amount of goodies that the client had brought with them had to be divided up between us.”

Hair and make-up artist Claire said:

“My requirements were for natural/summertime makeup and hair but it was a busy day as there were lots of models – both adults and kids. It was a lovely day in July so it was great to be out in the garden for much of the day and there were certainly lots of sweeties around to keep our energy levels up in the afternoon!”

“I had a great day shooting for PVM – makers of some of the biggest sweet brands including the legendary Chupa Chups lolly! We wanted to keep the shoot fairly loose which suits my style – this also helped with the children as they were able to relax and enjoy the day. We had great weather too which meant there was plenty of opportunity to shoot outside. The main challenge was making sure we had covered all the different brands – Ben, Charlie and Rosalind did a great job making sure everything ran smoothly.” – Nick David

Behind the Scenes / Nick David and models.

“I’ve always been a huge admirer of Nick’s portfolio. He captures excitement and genuine passion with such vibrancy – I knew he would be perfect for the Perfetti Van Melle brief. LPA’s meticulous planning and experience meant that everything ran without a hitch on the day. And a result, we got some absolutely fabulous shots and a very happy client.” Ben Baxter / Art Director

For this month’s edition of The Brief we chose a shoot Julian Calverley has recently worked on for the Skoda accessories brochure, through Key Parker. Julian had shot the images for the previous brochure, so the client knew his distinctively stylised, cinematic aesthetic would work perfectly a second time around. It’s always great when we get briefs through from repeat clients; so we were excited to get cracking on this production from the word go!

The original brief was for a 3-day shoot to update the photography in the Skoda accessories brochure, which is used to promote the “thoughtful extras designed for the way you live your life and drive your Skoda”. The brief called for one set up per day, each depicting a different scenario in which the Skoda accessories range can make life that little bit easier.

The client called on Julian’s powerful, enhanced style of photography to ensure that the brochure would be far from your run of the mill automotive advertising. His intensely detailed approach lends itself perfectly to this brief, which required the car to sit in the background of each lifestyle set up whilst still ultimately being the focal point the shoot.

The client had provided us with some scamps, detailing each planned scenario:

Day 1:

Subject: A young boy, aged 9 or 10

Scenario: A family day out to the seaside. Mum and dad are relaxing on deck chairs on a quintessentially British beach, whilst their son and daughter enjoy an ice cream/lolly which they have managed to smear around their mouths and drip down their hands. The son is in the foreground, looking to camera, whilst his younger sister, being camera shy and a bit cheeky, is possibly peeking out from behind a large sand castle they have built.

Vehicle: The family’s Rapid Spaceback is parked incidentally in the scene along a raised promenade in the background.

Day 2:

Subject – Male business executive, aged 40-55

Scenario – Our subject is grabbing a bite to eat for lunch in an organic sandwich bar/deli. He is seated at a table in the foreground, drinking a cup of coffee, and is catching up with a bit of remote working, surrounded by his iPad, smartphone and newspaper. The food and produce on sale in the shop, (eg artisan breads, jars of olives, chutneys, etc), is displayed behind him on tables and shelves. We are looking back through the deli, out to the street.

Vehicle: The businessman’s Octavia vRS is parked over the road.

Day 3:

Subject: A group of 3 young friends, aged 20-25

Scenario: Our fashionable friends are seen leaving a trendy, Art Deco-type cinema in the heart of London. The photograph is shot at night to capture the buzz and atmosphere of the street scene, with a queue of people milling around the entrance. The subject is in the foreground, standing next to her car, whilst her friends are chatting and laughing crossing the road towards her to get their lift home or to move on to their next venue.

Vehicle: the girl’s Citigo is parked on the nearside kerb.

Upon receiving the brief LPA Production set about preparing the costs and production schedule, and sorting the logistics. In this case the client organised the talent, locations and permits, shoot vehicles and catering themselves.

Once we had received a PO approving the costs, we began on the production. Our ‘to do’ list looked something like this…

1) Get advance of shoot expenses
2) Confirm dates with Julian and the client.
3) Confirm and brief crew.
4) Confirm wardrobe and props brief plus sizes of ‘models’ from Key Parker for the stylist

5) Prepare call sheets and send to everyone.

Styling:

Wardrobe and prop styling was paramount on this shoot to make each shot clear, convincing and relatable. LPA Style’s talented Charlie Cave did an amazing job – we particularly love her use of bold clothing and props to compliment the details in each scenario.

We also brought in LPA Style’s Claire Portman and Victoria Poland to provide hair and make-up, with Claire working on scenarios 1 and 3 and Victoria working on scenario 2.

Claire said:

“We had a sunny afternoon shooting by the seaside and then an evening shoot at the Rio cinema. Both days required a very natural hair and makeup look from me as the brief called for ‘real’ people. It was a pleasure to work with Julian for the first time and great to work with Charlie as always.”

The Shoot

“My first thought when I got this brief was that it was a really bold thing for a car company to do. I have worked with cars a lot throughout my career so I found it incredibly interesting that they wanted to focus more on the characters than the car itself. This, I thought, was a great concept because it engages the viewer on a personal level and also stands out simply because it’s not your typical car shoot. In this sense it was great for both Skoda and Key Parker to have faith in me to do something a little different.

With this kind of shoot you really have to be able to think on your feet because you have no idea what could happen on the day! We were lucky to have a great team on board – from Al and Steve at Key Parker to Charlie, Victoria and Claire from LPA Style – ensuring everything ran smoothly on set. The set up with the young boy at the beach was quite tricky to achieve but he was a star and very patient – it probably helped that there was a constant supply of ice cream though!”

The Brief is a quarterly feature on the LPA blog which takes a behind the scenes look at a photoshoot.

THE BRIEF

Photographer: Patrick Harrison

Client: Anthony Nolan

Title: Together for Better

Art Director: Dilhan Attanayake

Shoot dates: February 2014

Usage: Annual Review, UK, 1 year

This time we centre The Brief on a project Patrick Harrison has recently completed for UK Charity Anthony Nolan, the NHS and the Department of Health. Having worked with Patrick previously, the client knew his natural reportage-style approach and knack for capturing his subjects in their own environments (see below) would make him perfect for the job.

The original brief from Dilhan Attanayake, the Creative Studio Manager at Anthony Nolan and Art Director for the shoot, was to produce a series of portraits for the Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry 2014 Annual Review. Each portrait would capture a different person associated with the cause, from the chief executive of Anthony Nolan to donors themselves. The purpose was to mark achievements made in stem cell transplantation so far, and to measure further progress that can be made. The images needed to be natural and engaging, with a contemporary feel.

It was decided that Patrick would shoot each subject in his or her own working environment, which saw him traveling across the country and meeting lots of interesting people affiliated with the cause. Patrick’s ability to capture people in a spontaneous and genuine manner has resulted in final imagery that is sincere and anchors the message of the Annual Review perfectly.

Patrick shot the stem cell donors in Nottingham, Leicester and RAF Brize Norton, as well as shooting representatives from Anthony Nolan and the NHS in London.

The Shoot

This was a successful and enjoyable shoot for both Patrick and the client, who both commented on how smooth the process was. Here Patrick reveals a bit about the things he needed to consider upon receiving the brief:

“This was a really nice portrait brief from Anthony Nolan. The client and the art director were present for the first shoot, which was the perfect opportunity to discuss how best to approach the other shoots as I would be doing these alone with an assistant.

We discussed that all the portraits would be used bleed on a single page A4 portrait format with no text so shooting with this in mind meant all the shots taken were usable. The tone of the portraits was the other major consideration. They needed to be focused and direct, capturing and communicating the strength and openness of all involved. The pictures would be used to encourage others to consider being a donor in the future so this wasn’t a light hearted brief.

I love photographing real life stories and meeting new and inspiring people is always rewarding. My aim is always to make those people feel as special as possible, and to be sensitive to their wishes. This ultimately means making quick decisions about possible locations / backgrounds and working as a team with the assistant to put everyone at ease. The experience should appear to be effortless and should hopefully be rewarding and enjoyable for all and not like a bad trip to the dentist, which is probably what most people are expecting!

The final images were printed beautifully and seeing them for the first time was really exciting, I don’t think I’ll ever lose that feeling!”

“The right Imagery on this project was key to its success as we wanted to show how individuals from everyday backgrounds could, by a selfless act, save the life of a person with blood cancer, by donating their stem cells and registering as a donor on NHS Blood or the Anthony Nolan register. The individuals in the images taken by Patrick Harrison came from all walks of life and in this respect we wanted the images to reflect them and their surroundings in an honest, realistic way that Patrick’s captures effortlessly.

The team at LPA were fantastic from our initial conversation about the idea to the delivery of the final images, they made everything run so seamlessly that all we had to do was concentrate on making sure that we had a worthy design to marry Patrick’s beautiful images.”

1st Assistant: The photographer’s right hand man on a shoot, who’s responsibility is to do all the tasks required so the photographer is free to concentrate on taking the pictures. They would usually be quite involved in the lighting and digital downloading.

The Brief is a quarterly feature on the LPA Blog that takes a behind the scenes look at what goes into a photoshoot, from brief to final images. This month we bring you a clever campaign for Edwardian Group London’s training school ED.G.E. We even include a handy photoshoot glossary!

LPA Photographer Iain Crockart was commissioned by Saatchi Masius for a great little campaign for the Edwardian Group London Training school ‘ED.G.E’. Known for photographing ‘real people’ in real environments but also used to big productions with a shoot crew, Iain was the perfect man for the job.

”Essentially we want to shoot EGL hotel employees (from chefs and porters through to management) with props that help to develop a narrative about key ‘behaviours’ that EGL want to promote. So an example could be a chef holding a map of Italy, to promote passionate behaviour. The narratives are currently being developed and we’d be interested in sharing the early drafts with you at some point, to get your input on how we can use props and lighting to best support the stories.

We’re hoping that we can shoot in around 3/4 weeks time and I’m estimating that we’ll need around 2 days.

To get the ball rolling from our side, my colleague Tom Rudge will be in touch to ask about day rates etc and as we move forward we can hopefully book in a kick-off meeting with you.”